Road Trip: Car Organization

So, if you guys read this morning’s post you will know that my love bunny and I are on our way to Michigan Kid FREE! Again, both scary and exciting at the same time. I am so eager to see this new place I will be settling down in and cannot wait until I can go exploring. Which reminds me does any of my readers Geocache? Great way to explore a new place or find hidden places somewhere you have lived a long time.

Anyways enough of my tangent… I promised y’all that I would be doing two blogs this Sunday and hopefully you checked out the first post this morning. Which is on packing your vacation bag. Yes, I did say bag not bags, because I promise you will have plenty of room. Well this post is all about the car and how to organize your car for a long-distance vacation without the kids. I always see post about packing a car with kids, but never without and since I will be without I thought this would be a prefect double Sunday topic.

Where to Start

First thing first you need to clean out your car. A long-distance car ride will already have its messes, so try eliminating those habits by starting with a clean car. When you start with a clean car you will be less likely to want to dirty it up. This philosophy applies to a lot of different scenario as well.

Grab a Caddy

Something with two sides or a couple different compartments would be prefect. The caddy should be able to sit comfortably behind the drivers chair if there are two going. If you are going on vacation alone stick it in the passenger seat. The caddy will be snack central for your long ride. Preparing snacks ahead of time will save you money. Just remember that you want things you will want on the road. So, if you are a junk eater on the road just buy that type of snack. Most of the time buying items you normally wouldn’t eat will just cause you to spend more money at the gas station.

Command Hook Trash Can

Hanging Basket

I ended up finding a cute little basket that fit in my SO's car prefect. This came from the Dollar General and was only a dollar.

There are a lot of hacks out there for the cereal container trash can. The problem with this style of trash can is that is can still move. So, every bump, twist, hill, or brakes that are hit will send it flying somewhere on the passenger side.

Instead of fighting with the plastic trash can go old school with a plastic bag or use a reusable shopping bag for your car trash. What makes this a great option is the little command hook you should apply to the side bottom dash area to hold the trash bag in place. Everyone up front will be able to reach the trash can and it will not go flying all over your driving buddy’s feet’s.

Back of Seat Organizer

Grab a shoe organizer for the back of one of the seats. This handy multipocketed organizer will have your car always stocked with road trip essentials. Some items to keep in your organizer; ibuprofen, Benadryl, Icy Hot (for your shoulders and lower back), ear plugs, eye mask, wall socket charger, small pad of paper, pens, gum, and flashlight. Really whatever you like to have in the car with you is a great addition to this organizer.

The Car Junk Drawer

The middle console of a car tends to be where everything gets thrown. So, I have a few supplies that may come in handy for this area. This is not an essential for a car road trip, but an extra bonus to make your car organized.

Accordion Note Card Holder – This item is great for keeping receipts organized that you have floating around in the car. You can also use this for coupons which are better served in the car since you will use them when you are out.

***This tip is great for those willing to take the time to put each receipt in the correct area. If that is not you just grab a hard case pencil holder. The Dollar Tree had smaller ones so it will not take a ton of space.***

Again, the Dollar Tree has a great selection of small containers you can pick up to keep your change in. Depending on your style of console you may, like us, be able to keep these in the top area. The ones with lids are even better since the console will be opened and you do not want all the change you just sorted flying everywhere.

Your Car Is Organized

To be honest I suck at car organization. This is a weak spot for me, because I view my car as that area I can be messy in. Which is awful, because people see inside my car all the time and it is highly embarrassing having all the junk floating around. Granted I have a two-year-old that does not care about a trash can when the car floor is just right there. However, I do know some of that comes from the fact that me pre-child was not the cleanest either. My son probably picked up some of these habits from me already.

Did any of these ideas help you get car organized? Will you be using any of these on your next road trip? Don’t forget to #Imitationlife #TravelLife on Instagram to share all your fun road trip adventures!